MAGALANG, Pampanga —At the foot of Mount Arayat in Barangay Ayala here is the Orissa Garden of Wellness. The 2.2-hectare area of Orissa —set to be expanded—is owned by wellness advocate and yoga teacher Riza Lagman Lim, who grew up in nearby Angeles City.
Dressed in white and barefoot, Lim immediately dishes out a refreshing smile once visitors meet her in front of the main facility of Orissa.
“Do we have to wear the slippers?” the journalists asked Lim after they were given pairs of slippers upon arriving. They noticed that shoes were left outside the doors.
“You can do anything you want. You can walk around barefoot in our place,” Lim quickly answered back, adding that “relaxation has been given a real meaning at Orissa.”
Lim said that Orissa—named after her favorite place in India—“is the place to relax and nurture the mind, body and spirit.”
“You get temporary relaxation and comfort at some spas and other massage centers. At Orissa, we introduce to you how to consistently nourish and take care of your body, mind and spirit,” said Lim, a holistic health practitioner, certified clinical nutritionist consultant and certified master herbalist consultant who graduated at Natural Healing Institute of Naturopathy in Encinitas, San Diego, California.
“But it’s up to you after we teach it. Living a healthy life is your choice,” said Lim, whose Indian name is “Shanti.”
Lim invested not just precious time but money, as well, in running and putting up the “holistic health center and sanctuary for people who need physical treatment, emotional balance and psychological calm.” She added: “But I didn’t really put this up to earn—profit is secondary.”
In 1999 Lim’s mother died of cervical cancer. She could not forget the pain and trauma experienced by Teresita Lagman Lim while battling the disease.
Lim said she feels good—and the presence of her mom—when she is helping others overcome pain.
Lim and her friends, including fellow wellness advocate Archie de Leon, are finding contentment and joy by teaching yoga and other wellness activities at schools in Pampanga and, recently, at the main office of the Central Luzon Philippine National Police.
“And that’s for free. We really want to share and help,” added Lim, a certified yoga and meditation teacher, who graduated at Yoga Darshanam, Mysore, Gokulam, Karnataka, India. She is also a certified reiki master, chakra balance and color therapy who studied in Tokyo, Japan, and a certified teacher on crystal healing and energy healing arts who studied at the Riza Regis, Ayala, Alabang, Philippines, and Guru Fumiko, Nagano, Japan.
Lim has been a vegetarian for over 10 years.
She said, “It had helped me a lot.”
“If you notice, I always have a bottle of water with me. Drinking plenty of water daily is healthy, as well,” she said.
Asked if eating meat is not a good practice, Lim said: “Everything should be taken in moderation.”
“There are times you need to eat meat because it’s needed by your body. It really depends,” she said.
Dr. Rowie Medina-Mangubat, a sought-after obstetrician-gynecologist based in Angeles City, is one of the new yoga students of Lim. She said she had tried the “vegetarian food. “It was good and I feel healthier nowadays.”
Mangubat also coordinated with Lim for the free yoga sessions given to woman-members of the police based at Camp Olivas, Pampanga.
Lim said they have fruits and vegetables grown year round at their place in Magalang.
“We can survive even if we don’t get food supplies outside,” added Lim, who is actively involved in helping abused women.
Lim is an international vegetarian culinary expert. She studied in India, Thailand, the Philippines and the US.
De Leon, who was with Lim during the interview, said: “It’s amazing that Riza could still maintain the presentation and taste of the food at Orissa despite the fact that all of the ingredients are made of vegetables.”
“We understand that Pampanga is the culinary capital of the Philippines and the local folk are certainly demanding when it comes to the taste and quality of their food,” de Leon added.
Some of the best sellers made of pure vegetables are bangus belly with organic vegetables, pork honey barbecue, crispy tapa with basil, sweet and sour salmon, disuse à la vegetariana and chicken tinola with moringa.
Lim said they could accommodate as much as 50 people at Orissa. Their main building and other houses are made up of decorations and materials bought from several areas of the country, including anahaw from Quezon province. It is used as roofing to keep the houses cool even during the hot summer season.
“We are Filipinos and we must use our local products to beautify our place,” she added.
Lim disclosed, “Believe it or not, many of our clients are priests.”
Lim said there is a certain period in a year when international movie stars, producers and directors visit Orissa. She added that “they stay not just for a day or two but many days” for the alternative healing offered at Orissa.
“They love it here. People from all walks of life deserve a break and to be taught on how to have real rest. We teach people to have a well-rounded healthy living in order for them to be closer to God,” Lim said.
“A sound mind in a sound body makes one’s soul closer to heaven.”
Image credits: Leo Villacarlos
3 comments
It sounds nice, I really want to go to Orissa — are there overnight accommodations?
I recall that this facility sucks big time on service – that was two
years ago, I hope that the owner has been and is doing a good job at
improving their services. She should teach her staff how to entertain
visitors. Imagine us, I and my wife, driving all the way from Quezon
City, to partly celebrate our anniversary there – only to be
disappointed with the dismal service of the staff – they seem to think
of visitors there otherwise, as in our case, we came and we wanted to
avail of the services (and the food) that the facility has to offer,
unfortunately we were left wondering upon our inquiry at the door of
their receiving area/office/lobby (since we had queries and the staff
mentioned that they supposedly needed to clarify first with the
owner/management at least that was we were made to understand – but no
one came out again), only to find out after a long wait that nobody
among the staff intended to entertain us (at least not until I decided
to come inside their receiving office and inquire what happened – and
nobody wanted to talk to me and seem to be disinterested in actually
accommodating us/queries/planned stay there. They do not even have a
proper parking area, nor to they have personnel to assist visitors
bringing their own cars how and where to park. Oh well, in my book this
facility sucks, first impression lasts.
If i want to go, what do i need to know about your treatment and what are the type of sickness that you treat? thanks